Blog Post

Buying or Selling Your House? Get a Chimney Sweep First!

Whether you intend to buy or sell a house, it is advisable that you consider a certified chimney inspection as part of your plan. Many homeowners or even realtors often ignore the importance of having a qualified chimney sweep inspect your home so that there aren’t any unforeseen costs when buying a house.

Worth noting is that while some home inspectors can impeccably identify problems in other parts of a home, the chimney inspection often eludes many. Thus, it’s crucial that you have your chimney inspected by a certified chimney sweep before selling or buying a home.

Inspecting your Chimney

The inspection before the buying or selling of a house gives the parties involved some peace of mind that comes with a clean and ready-to-use fireplace. As a home buyer, the responsibility is equally on you to ensure the safety of your family if the new house has a fireplace by ensuring that the chimney is in good condition. You can do this by requesting an independent chimney inspection in addition to a home inspection regardless of if the sellers already provided an inspection report from a certified chimney sweep. There is no harm in asking to have another certified chimney sweep do a secondary inspection.

The importance of a second report is just to confirm the condition of the chimney as issued in the seller’s report. A second opinion can even help you unravel undiscovered, as the devil is in the details. This way you can ensure issues that involve your fireplace, the heating flue or other chimney issues are addressed before the deal is sealed.

If you’re a new homeowner and you’ve bought a house that had been previously occupied for a long time, it’s important to find a chimney sweep to do an inspection. Many times, sellers fail to include findings from a certified chimney sweep in their declaration. It would be in your best interest to inspect the chimney professionally before you start lighting that fireplace.

Selling Your Home With a Fireplace

The same would be expected of a seller who should consider a chimney inspection by a chimney sweep before putting up a house for sale. The benefits are incomparable from saving you embarrassments during the sale of your home. This will give you plenty of time to fix whatever issues arise. Consequently, buyers would be more at ease when buying a home.

Worth mentioning is that the National Fire Protection Association recommends a detailed inspection when one prepares to buy or sell a home with a combustion appliance; whether it’s a furnace, fireplace or woodstove. The condition of the chimney thus becomes a factor in the sale and in case any problems are discovered, fixing this is prudent before putting the house on the market. In the very unlikely situation that you do not elect to commence the repairs, the law advises that you disclose this to the buyers.

Chimney Safety Standards

The unpleasant yet glaring truth is that in many homes, the chimneys, fireplaces and heating appliance installations barely meet safety standards. Many chimneys degenerated because of a beating from the weather or because of the prolonged use without inspections or chimney cleanings. Other chimneys may have simply been built incorrectly or poorly installed.

Some of the flaws or issues with combustion areas include the lack of an appropriate liner inside the chimney. Other issues may arise from the wrong distances in the structure, for example, the distance between hot surfaces and burnable materials. This only asserts the need for a certified Chimney sweep. This requires the use of video scanning equipment that can show the condition of the inside of your flues and directly pinpoint problems. A proficient chimney professional will also be in a position to notice and update you of building codes and product listings applicable to your situation.

Home and Chimney Inspection

What stands out is that as much as many people expect home inspectors to look at chimneys, the nitty gritty of a chimney inspection is beyond the scope of a regular home inspection. If anything, the standards of practice governing home inspectors normally require them to inspect readily accessible areas that are exposed to view. They are hardly ever expected to mount chimneys or to take off chimney caps. Rather, the home inspectors will recommend in writing that the chimney should be cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney sweep prior to closing on the home.

It is critical that you use the services of a chimney sweep and inspection as soon as possible. It would be relevant to mention to them that the house is being prepared for sale. This will save you the headache of last minute discoveries that might jeopardize what otherwise ought to be a smooth sale of your home.

The importance of proper chimney maintenance is to protect people from the hazards of house fires and toxic gases poisonings. Consequently, it is important to choose your professional chimney sweep wisely.

To learn more about chimney inspections and keeping your home safe, fill out the form below today!